Customer Reviews

Helvete [Explicit]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The masters of metallic grindcore are finally back with their long-awaited third full length. Nasum forced their development from straight forward grindcore like on "Inhale/Exhale" to more playfully and metal influenced grind which you could already hear on the last album "Human 2.0". But with "Helvete" they set new standards again because the production is better than on the last album and will blow you away. The title already shows it because "Helvete" is the Swedish word for hell and when you listen to it you'll think those tunes come from the depths of hell to punish your mind! Just think of the speed of "Inhale/Exhale" combined with some breaks and playfully passages. Don't get me wrong mostly they step on the accelerator and offer blasting songs that often clock under the 2 minutes mark! I also think that you have to get used to the sound of the album and please don't judge it after just one listening because after several repetitions "Helvete" shows its evil beauty. Nasum do everything right from the guitar-riffing that changes from moshy grind attacks to virtuous metal stuff to the bass and drum work which is the brutal backbone of this grinding machine! More than ever they change between Mieszko's screaming and Jesper's low grunts and the battling between both vocals makes the album even more worthwhile! They also added a great packaging (artwork and layout) to this milestone and I don't have to mention that they offer intelligent,..and even hateful lyrics. Already Barney Greenway from Napalm Death said "Extreme metal doesn't get much better than this" and he's right!

Barring the early days of punk in the late '70s, there's been no other genre in the history of rock that's been mocked, pilloried and pissed on by the mainstream as much as grindcore has. Ever since Napalm Death unleahsed their 28 songs in 34 minutes "Scum" debut in 1987, in all of its grisly, eye-with-scalpel-opening glory, and arguably invented the genre, grindcore has been labelled everything from "mindless noise" to "the end of music".
But the tide may well be changing, and the mainstream acceptance of bands as diverse as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Slipknot, who both feature a considerable grindcore element in their sound, is opening the doors to a wider acceptance of the genre as still one of the most relevant, thrilling and tirelessly open-ended forms of metal today. 2000's "Human 2.0", the second album from Orebro, Sweden trio Nasum (pronounced "Naw-Zum"), was arguably one of the finest grindcore ablums of all time. A scorching, lethal cocktail of punk nihilism, abstract conceptualism and searing extreme metal riffage, "Human 2.0" forged its forward-thinking grindcore identity out of bashed-to-bits contemporary metal grooves, rabid bursts of noise and a heralthy dose of bile-fuelled lyrical social conscience.
Third opus "Helvete" (Swedish for "hell") does not disappoint. The band's blast-ahead-full-throttle Napalm Death influence is more present than ever (ND bassist Shane Embury guests on two songs), and throughout its 35 minutes and 22 brutal tracks of grass-gurgling, double-tier vocals, neck-snapping blastbeats and grime-encrusted riffs, "Helvete" paints exactly the kind of stark and unforgiving canvas of contemporary humanity our burning world needs right now; be it the anti-war/anti-greed mayhem of "Violation", the extreme right-baiting judderr-fest of "Drop Dead" or the glacial hum of "The Final Sleep". Read the papers, watch the news. The world is a dark, ugly place at the moment. This is its soundtrack.

Now, this is what grindcore should be like. Nasum offers up their third full length with a healthy dose of attitude, and a whole lot of energy. Blasting us with 22 tracks in a mere 35 minutes of running time, you know you're getting real grind here! Being the only Nasum album I own, I of course find it to be the best of their collection, but I find when I compare it to the songs I've heard from Human 2.0 (especially Shadows) it's not quite as catchy and... melodic. Though don't get me wrong, this CD is actually surprisingly melodic. Songs like Relics with the upper-mid tempo punky guitar break up the blasting furiosity of the rest of the tracks. Then there's the doom-esque song, The Final Sleep, that lets you relax into the groove. Hell, almost every song slows down just a bit and grooves along, creating Nasum's famous catchy hooks. Indeed, that is what will draw you into the album. Everytime you get sick of being pounded with blasting grind, they slow down to a crunchy hook, and you just cannot turn it off. However, through all this praise, I do have one complaint. The lyrics, overall, are pretty damn bad. Especially when I compare it to my afformentioned Human 2.0 favorite, Shadows. They just seem like they kinda cranked 'em out. Not as catchy, not as clever, and very angsty. But Talarczyk's vocal delivery, among the best in grind, keeps them sounding at least okay, and they do get you more into the album. Overall, if you like grind, and do not own this album... you're "a failure, a disgrace!"

Wow. This album will take you to helvete for sure. The band displays a very focused grindcore sound. They make the best of a half hour. They play hard and fast. Nonstop. The political lyrics give a different view to american government. This is true grindcore band due to the political involvement. I love this trio. Buy this album.

I give my full respect towards Mieszko A. Talarczyk. He was not found in the recent events of the tsunami in 2004. His music inspires many of us. Take care family and friends. He is somewhere good.

Holy cow, this smokes. 22 tracks of blistering grindcore race by in just over 35 minutes. The requisite blastbeats and scorched-earth vocals are present, but tempo changes, varied tones, and a dual vocal attack add depth. The main vocal is an appealingly full midrange scream; a lower, more conventional death metal growl occasionally interjects. The lyrics are mostly misanthropic, but intelligently so, and the playing, while not highly technical, is tight and brutal. Highlights include "Stormshield" with its clean guitars, and "The Final Sleep," a doomy contemplation on death.

First of all, unlike many reviewers, I'm not deriding Nasum because I'm a mouthbreather who listens to Coldplay and gets scared by loud music. I can see the appeal in the band's crust-inflected political grindcore, but I feel they moved in a negative direction following Inhale/Exhale.

Nasum were in the prestigious position of having been an energizing force for Napalm Death, but I feel that band always delivered better music with wit and anger that made Nasum's heavy-handed moralizing seem like a tantrum in comparison. Compare these lyrics:

"How thoughtful, how nice
A world of [expletive], what a nice surprise!
It really makes us wonder
How the [expletive] you've come this far
A heart of stone
And no brains to cover for your loss
Your words alone
Leave us wondering how the [expletive] you have survived"
- Nasum, circa 2003

Vs.

"Everything fits nicely into place
Higher powers take the lead
Issues are decided before we've a chance to think
And moral high ground wins the day again
Decision-making
and power playing
principles spurned
Show of hands
to clasp the myth
Favors for my friends"
- Napalm Death, circa 2000

Similarly, Nasum's lack of nuance was evident in their vocal delivery, a static screaming performance with no emotional variation, phrased almost like rap. Let's consider some early hardcore punk. When Henry and Ian screamed in Black Flag and Minor Threat, it served a dramatic purpose. They meant it; you knew that they were damn serious. With late Nasum, almost every single line was screamed with the same timbre, phrasing and volume, and consequently it seemed to mean nothing. No matter how growly or extreme the music is, it needs an emotional center or it just turns into bland whatever.

I'm not sure what people saw in Mieszko as an engineer/producer, either. Everything he did was either sterile and overdone (this album), or so muddy you can't discern the riffs until they arrived at slow groove section (Shift, Human 2.0).

Overall, Nasum were decent riffcrafters, but that was betrayed by their inability to master any other dramatic aspect of their music. One star just because there's better stuff out there.

Well, I would be lying if I said that I don't recommend this album. But I'd give it just 4.5 stars... That's because it lacks diversity. By that I mean that songs should be more... different. I mean, take a look at Human 2.0 and you'll see what I mean. Almost all songs are very very different and it makes it so much more interesting to listen to. Well, on the other side, Nasum has always been one of the best grind bands out there. Unlike so many others, they do seem to plan things and really play their instruments, instead of slamming their butts against their guitars. So, I do recommend this, but it's not Nasum's best.

I really like this record, I think that its the first grind LP to come out in some time that I can really say that about. To much grind these days is saturated with incompetently played death metal influence, slick production, boring tough-guy hardcore breakdowns, and unrelenting blasts, that while fast, are boring. That being said, this record suffers not from those fates, and as a result is probably the best metal grindcore record in a while (as opposed to grind records released in the punk scene). A solid release.

This record is amazing. I could never think that 3 people could make so much noise. All of the songs are extraordinary fast and short which never bores a person and makes you want to go to the next song. the music is really cool the guys have really good technique with really good riffs and really good lyrics with smarts.